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Pro Bono & Social Marketing Showcase 2014-2015

Each year Ogilvy & Mather offices around the world produce numerous campaigns on a pro bono basis as well as for paying clients that address some of the world's most pressing challenges – from environmental protection to wildlife conservation to child abuse prevention to poverty reduction and more. The work we do helps organizations recruit new members, raise money and publicize important issues.

Below is a selection of this type of work that has been selected by our parent company WPP for inclusion in their annual Sustainability Report and website. These campaigns have won awards, inspired movements and produced results for their respective causes.

Campaign: Blue Sky App

Client: WWF China

Company: Ogilvy & Mather Beijing and Social@Ogilvy Shanghai

Air pollution broke all records in China during 2013 and again in 2014. To raise awareness and motivate people to support Earth Hour, WWF China teamed up with OgilvyOne to create the Blue Sky app. This enables users to clear away the pollution from their photos and signal their support for action against air pollution by signing their phone screens.

Amnesty International works to end human rights abuses. This campaign highlighted its work through an online auction of 30 limited edition ‘freedom candles’. Candles were designed by well-known artists and when each candle melts a bronze statue and symbol of hope is revealed.

Ogilvy & Mather developed a social media campaign for the Ernest Hemingway Foundation to help engage a younger audience on the life and work of the author. This included ultra-condensed 15-second films based on some of Hemingway’s masterpieces streamed via Instagram.

Results:

Over 1,100 Instagram followers; Media coverage included articles in Esquire magazine and the Huffington Post.

Nadace Leontinka helps visually impaired children and students. To raise funds and awareness, Ogilvy & Mather worked with an ophthalmologist and five visually impaired teenagers to show people how the world looks when you’re living with a visual impairment. Each time a celebrity or trendsetter uploaded a new photo to Instagram, the image was copied and one of five special filters applied – each representing a different visual impairment.

Spain's annual telethon La Marat — de TV3 raises funds for medical research. This year's campaign, supported by Ogilvy & Mather Barcelona, focused on heart disease, the main cause of death in Catalonia and throughout the world.

Results:

Donations exceeded €11 million; the largest per person amount raised by telethon in Europe.

In India, 14 million boys and girls under the age of 15 are illegally married every year.This campaign used realistic video matrimonial ads featuring young boys. When parents considering child marriage for their daughters calledthe number they were put through to the Breakthrough Foundation for counselling and monitoring.

Results:

240m people reached through the media campaign and 7.5m people reached through direct interaction; 35,000 phone calls to the Breakthrough line from families considering child marriage.

All radio and TV channels in Argentina are required to play the national anthem every day, with performers receiving royalties for each broadcast. To support the Lomas Oral School for children with hearing impairments, a new recording of the anthem was made, sung by pupils from the school.

Hijras, transgender people in India, are often invited to bless new babies and weddings. Many make their living by exchanging blessings for cash at traffic junctions. This humorous campaign featured Hijras educating Mumbai motorists about the importance of road safety and wearing a seat belt.

Results:

2.1m views of the video in just 4 days; 4.7m views on YouTube in just 5 months.

21 September is World Peace Day, a global day of ceasefire and non-violence. To raise awareness and encourage people to take action for peace, Ogilvy & Mather Shanghai created a table football game with a difference – each of the 22 players was replaced by an iconic world leader, all playing together and shooting goals, not guns.

Results:

27,000 people played in under a month; The game was covered by media in 10 countries

Every year since 1998, Ogilvy Chicago has created a beautiful set of posters to promote the Steppenwolf Theatre Company’s season of plays. In 2014, the series included five expressive images created by local artists.

Skin cancer accounts for over 50% of cancer diagnoses in Brazil, but young people often don't look out for the signs. Ogilvy & Mather Brazil helped youth sunscreen brand Sol de Janeiro find a new way to reach young people on this issue – by training tattoo artists to spot the early signs of skin cancer.

Ogilvy & Mather helped telecoms company Claro create Vroom Ring Boom, a catchy new song that children can sing to remind their parents not to use a cell phone when driving. The message is simple and direct – texting or calling while driving is dangerous. The campaign was so successful, Vroom Ring Boom will now be included in the Guatemalan Ministry of Education’s national curriculum.

Results:

Over 40,000 children reached; 20% decline in fines for texting and talking.

Emotional abuse in childhood can cause mental health problems in later life, and even contribute to young people becoming involved in violent crime. This campaign highlighted the issue through ‘word weapons’ created by artist Yong Xie. Each weapon told the story of the abuse received and the crime committed by a real young offender.

Results:

3.2m people reached; 300 calls made in two weeks to a new helpline for young people experiencing abuse.